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Tag Archives: alternative

It’s kind of a trip to hear a modern indie rock band have the appeal that is a cross between Weezer and Neil Young buit that is what I hear in the three-piece Victorian Slang, whose By The Light of The Moon (Emotional Response) is the kind of album that would sound great in a car as it would in a dingy basement with no air conditioning. “High Five The Moon” sounds like a country song in the wrong part of town while “Churches” is the right song to turn your melancholy into a happy day or week.

It’s not a majorly serious album but that’s not to say this is nothing more than a hoot and a guffaw. By The Light of The Moon has enough of a good thing going for it that they come off as a band who don’t take themselves too seriously, or at least they know how to have fun, especially by covering Clarence “Frogman” Henry’s “Ain’t Got No Home”, which Rod Stewart borrowed/ripped off for “Some Guys Have All The Luck” in the 80’s. Victorian Slang take it back from him and show things can still be good, if not great. Need a bit of an Uncle Tupelo revival, they pull it off with excellent by doing “I Got Drunk”. The album is quite nice and while calling something “nice” may come off as being tame, I mean that in the nicest way, no sarcasm. I’d want to see these guys live.

The last time I heard from Jim Of Seattle, I compared them to the likes of Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, and Prince for their diversity and eclectic side. Eclecticness is still present on Both The Planet Frank And The Chet Lambert Show (Green Monkey) but now they’re getting in contact with Devo and Frank Zappa, the former quite present when they do a cover of “Whip It” but they also get into Jimmy Webb’s realm with a nice rendition of “Wichita Lineman”.

The album is divided in two halves, the eclectic side working as a radio show (The Elders Live From The Planet Frank) and a far more trippy side on the “other” (The Chet Lambert Show), both not coinciding with one another and yet somehow the differences fit perfectly. It plays along well with The Turtles Meet The Battle Of The Bands but they are (ahem) playing with themselves for an order to dominate their practice sheds. In other words, Jim Of Seattle are doing very well stuck in their own world and they’re more than happy to welcome others in for fun and musical joy.

Is this alternative, indie pop, or indie rock? In truth, Not Yourself Today (Green Monkey” by The Navins is all of the above and then some. It’s an incredibly tight album with great musicianship and songs that are worth paying attention to so you can remember the verses and chorus as a means to recommend it to everyone. A lot of their songs reminds me of the same power Evan Dando had with The Lemonheads, due to the strength of Cain Morehead and forget regionality: the music here not only represents Seattle but wholesome American alterna-rock, all without fitting in a lot of worn-out cliches. One of the bvest tracks, “What You Do”, is the most gentle of the bunch and could easily be getting a lot of airplay if airplay still mattered these days. Make it matter.

The Evaporators are back with a brand new song and a new song from Nardwuar The Human Serviette and friends can only be a good thing. They want to let you know why “I Can’t Be Shaved” so get your favorite after shave and see what happens with your favorite sweaters. This clip was nicely put together by director Jason Margolis.

Would you stop the world and “Melt” with The Mystery Lights? You might be asking “I don’t even know who these guys are or if they even have a tattoo on their ankle” but now find out. The Mystery Lights sound like a cross between the Dead Kennedys’ and Nardwuar’s band The Evaporators, you may hear other influences too but “Melt” is from the band’s self-titled album on Wick Records, which you can check out below via Amazon.com.

Have you ever been to a love arcade? Depending on what type of love arcard it is, you may want to be careful but the guys in Channel want to introduce you to a “Luv Arcade”. It may be spelled differently but you may end up with the same results. Maybe. The song is from Channel’s self-titled debut album on Burger Records, which you can check out below via Bandcamp.

A month ago, I stated Mint Records will be releasing the second album from Monomyth on November 4th called Happy Pop Family and now you’re getting a chance to hear another song from it. This one is titled “Re:Lease Life (Place 2 Go)”, maybe it will take you to a new place of enjoyment.

Caustic Resin were one of the most prized bands from the Pacific Northwest music scene, specifically from the city of Boise, Idaho and when they released their music, many anticipated new sounds from them. Their The Medicine Is All Gone is still praised today and today, the Scavenger Cult label reissues that album on vinyl. If you’re unfamiliar with the album or the band, check out a song from it/them called “Cable” and hopefully you’ll be moved to pick up a copy of The Medicine Is All Gone, which you can order below via Amazon. The album will be out on September 30th.

Mint Records will be releasing the second album from Monomyth on November 4th called Happy Pop Family and are you excited beyond delight? Wait until you hear a song from it and yes, it’s right here. Have a slice of “Puppet Cree” and see which pond the musical river leads you to.

While Sargent House will be releasing a new album on September 9th called Star Treatment, it is the legendary Glitterhouse label that will be promoting it in Europe. But you’ll want to know “who is doing this Star Treatment album?” and that’s the part of the post where I say “they’re a band called Wovenhand. Have a listen to a song that has a rich taste of the early 80’s, if not mid-80’s, with “The Hired Hand”.